Out of the Shadows
by lightningpelt
Summary: Kankuro is feeling unappreciated,so he decides to take matters into his own hands,fleeing from the home he's known all his life.But with Kankuro MIA,a mysterious enemy is stalking the sand sibs and the whole of Suna.ShikaTema later; no other pairings
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) The first chapter of my new Naruto fic! *dances* This actually started out as a one-shot about how unappreciated Kankuro was… It all started when I saw that he landed 30****th**** in the popularity pole… Kankuro does need more love, don't you agree? **

**Takes place early time-skip. **

**Major ShikaTema later, so beware if you don't like. :D No other pairings. **

**I do not own any of the characters or Naruto. **

I fingered the sand shinobi headband on my forehead absently as I watched Temari spar in the rink and Gaara watch coldly from beside me. My eyes flicked between them and I adjusted the ears atop my head.

"Kankuro!" Baki snapped. "Stop fidgeting!"

I lowered my head. "Sorry, Baki-sensei," I grumbled.

Baki turned away, not paying me another moment. In the clearing, Temari had just dispatched her opponent. She stood over the elder shinobi looking smug, as always.

"Who next?" she asked with a smirk.

Baki shook his head. "Very good, Temari. Step down, now, I want Gaara to take a turn."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Really? We all know what _he_ can do."

"_Everyone _knows what he can do," I agreed. "Can _I_ train a little?"

But Baki seemed not to hear me. "Alright, alright, fine Temari. You can have one more round. Then we need to move on."

"But-"

"Kankuro!" Baki snapped, cutting me off. "Stop your mumbling and watch your sister! You may learn a few things!"

"You could stand to be quiet once in a while," Gaara hissed beside me. "Your drivel is giving me a headache."

I almost screamed. "But I wanna fight, too!"

"Why waste the time?" Baki asked. "You should _learn_. Watch your siblings and practice in private, as opposed to in public where you can embarrass yourself and your mentor, me."

I fumed for a moment, hardly able to contain myself. Karasu twitched on my back, responding to the surge of my fury. "I'm every bit as capable a fighter as Temari," I sniffed, leaving Gaara out of the equation.

Baki narrowed his eyes. His next words startled me. "Even if you are, no one cares."

I stiffened. "Plenty of people care about me…!"

Baki tossed his head. "Like who? Your puppets are your only friends, and you know it."

"It's true," Gaara murmured. "I'd just as soon kill you as put up with your pointless existence."

Temari glanced over from her bout. "Hehe, is little Kanky getting bullied?" she asked in an older-sisterly way. "I'm sure he deserves it."

"Your sister is a protégé," Baki continued. "Your brother is the host of Shukaku. But you? Who are you again?" He snorted derisively. "You're their brother. That's _all _you are. So just watch and appreciate the show."

Gaara huffed. "He shouldn't even be allowed to do that." The young sand shinobi made a shooing motion. "Go home, Kankuro. Fix up some diner."

My jaw dropped. "Temari's the girl! Why doesn't she cook?"

"Temari will be here training late," Baki said. "I think that's a splendid idea. Make yourself useful and do some of the housework while you're at it; last time I was over at your house, the place stank."

I fumed silently, glancing from Gaara to Baki and back. Neither of them bothered to even glare back, simply turning back to Temari's match. Furious, I turned on my heal and stalked away.

Arriving back at our shared house, I opened the door with a loud bang. Slinging Karasu down next to the door and stomping my feet as I went inside, I ripped open the cabinet and pulled out some rice and dried meat. Yanking out a large metal pot, I let the rest of the pots and pans crash out, bouncing over the hard stone floor. Filling the pot with water, I slammed it down on the stove and cranked up the heat.

"A protégé…" I grumbled angrily, stirring the water so fast that it sloshed out and spilt onto the stove, sizzling on the hot metal. "Host of Shukaku…" I threw the rice into the pot, watching as it bounced out and skittered across the stove and floor. "And who the hell am I? Compared to that, nothing!"

Scowling, I turned away and ripped the mop out of the broom closet, letting the broom and other tools tumble out and land on the floor. "Clean the house… a woman's chores…!" I dunked the mop into the sink and slapped it onto the floor again. Whipping it this way and that, I spread the soapy water around. "I wonder if they would even notice if I…" An idea dawned in my mind. "… left…"

…if I left…

That was it.

Tossing the mop onto the ground, I walked quickly to my room, picking up Karasu again. I pulled the puppet onto my back and then knelt to reach under my bed. I pulled out my black backpack and Kuroari out from under it, and then hurried to my bathroom. Stuffing my purple face paint into the backpack, I went back to the kitchen. Baki had always lectured that water was the most important thing in the desert… but I did the exact opposite. I packed only a few bottles of water, but as many packets of dry rations and ramen as I could. With a quick nod, I went out to the shed to retrieve Sanshouuo. If I was going to make a clean break, I couldn't afford to keep the puppets here and only summon them when I needed them.

Slinging the backpack over Sanshouuo's back, I went back into the house momentarily. I scribbled a couple a quick words on a sheet of paper and left it on my nightstand.

"See ya, Temari," I murmured. "Later, Gaara. I'd say I'll miss you… but that would be a lie."

Without another thought, I stole into the desert.

… … …

"Gosh, it's too hot to leave the door open," Temari exclaimed when she and Gaara arrived back at the house.

"Kankuro's an idiot," the younger of the two murmured. "What else do you expect?"

Temari sniffed the air. "Aw crap… something's burning." She slid inside and closed the door behind her. "Kankuro!" she called, then said softer to Gaara, "He never was much of a cook."

When she came around the corner, she found the unattended pot overflowing with burnt rice. Letting out a little shriek of alarm, she moved quickly to the stove and yanked it off of the stove. In her haste she forgot hot pads; burning her hands, she let out a yelp of pain. "Ouch ow! Ow, ow, ow!" She dropped the pan with a tremendous clatter, and only Gaara's sand kept the scalding hot water and overcooked rice from burning both their feet.

Gaara scowled darkly. "Just like Kankuro," he growled.

Temari blinked. "Oh no… he must be mad at us." Shaking her head slowly, she called out. "Kankuro!"

"Look at this mess," Gaara grumbled, poking the mop with his foot.

"Oh, Kankuro! Where are you?" Temari made her way deeper into the house. "Kankuro, are you mad? If this is about what Baki and I were saying earlier… you're my little brother! What else am I supposed to do? Don't be angry, Kanky…"

Knocking on her younger brother's door, Temari felt her heart drop with unexplained dread. The door swung open, revealing an empty room. Glancing around, she entered cautiously.

"Kankuro… I'm sorry, okay…?"

Gaara entered behind her, looking around. "His room is messier then mine."

Temari glared at her young brother. "He's probably hiding." Then she called out again. "Kankuro! I'm sorry for what I said!" Shooting a glare at Gaara, she elbowed him in the side.

"Uh… oh… yeah," he grunted. "I'm sorry too."

When no Kankuro appeared, the pair exchanged a curious glance. Temari's eyes suddenly landed on the piece of paper resting on his nightstand.

"Oh no…" she breathed.

"What?" Gaara asked testily.

Temari picked up the note and examined it, the color draining from her face. "Oh, Kazekage-sama…" she whispered. "Gaara! Listen to this!" She proceeded to read aloud from the note. "'Dear Temari and Gaara, I feel that I've outstayed my welcome. You two should be free to pursue your ninja paths without my hindering you. I'm sorry I can't tell you this face to face, but I'm kind of scared of Gaara… no offence, Gaara. Anyway, I'm going somewhere where no one will find me, but please don't look. I'm sure you won't, because you'll be glad that I'm finally gone. I'll come back one day when I'm a ninja that I can be proud of… that you can be proud of… a ninja that doesn't have to hide in his siblings' shadows. Your brother, Kankuro.' Oh Gaara, this is terrible!"

Gaara sat down with a _thunk_. "This is my fault," he murmured. "This is all my fault."

Temari knelt down beside him, placing one hand awkwardly on his shoulder. "No, it's all our faults. But we'll find him, I promise."

Gaara glanced up at her. "I'm not the nicest person," he said bluntly, avoiding Temari's eyes. "I'm not a good sibling. Not a good brother." He sighed heavily. "Temari… I really do value you and Kankuro."

Temari chuckled despite the situation and ruffled her younger brother's hair. "It's nice to hear that at least once in my life." She stood, and Gaara mimicked the motion.

"Come on," the younger murmured. "If Kankuro has fled into the desert, the sand will betray him. We'll find him in no time at all."

Temari felt an uneasy clenching in the pit of her stomach. _But Kankuro knows about Gaara's control of sand… _

She didn't know just how far in advance Kankuro had prepared. She didn't know how impossible a mission the two remaining sand sibs had on their hands. She couldn't know.

**(A/N) I hope everybody liked the first chapter! Reviewers are loved and get cookies, as well a hint for the next chapter! **

**Will Temari and Gaara find their runaway brother? Where is Kankuro planning to hide from Gaara's all-seeing power? And what will happen when disaster strikes Suna? **

**I have a special treat for the readers of this fic! Since it's already almost completely written (and typed) I'll be updating it once every three days! So please stay tuned! **

**For the record, Kankuro's always the Sand Sib's cook in my fics. x3 **


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) Chapter two! Yay! A day late… but I have an excuse! I was actually cut off from my computer since I posted the first chapter. **

**Thank you so much to Dolpher for reviewing the last chapter! … I didn't get around to replying… ^^; In answer to your question, I think our dearest Kankuro-kun is actually tempted to agree with them, so he's not really in the mood to stand up for himself. Plus, Baki-kun is still his sensei at the time, so, even though he does stand up to the council for Gaara-kun later on, this is before that. Hope that helps clear something up. ^^ **

**I do not own Naruto or any of the sand sibs (sadly). **

I knew that time was of the essence; the second that Gaara decided to come after me, which I knew my brother would, every grain of sand would become a spy for the shinobi. I would be surrounded by eyes.

Where I was headed, though, there was no sand to betray me.

I rode on Sanshouuo's back, as it both saved time and made it harder for Gaara to pinpoint me, on the off chance that they arrived home early.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I reached the bolder I was looking for, and no sand had reached up to wrap around me. I took a long drink from one of the water bottles I had taken, and then wrapped up Kuroari, who had been running alongside Sanshouuo, and shifted Karasu, already bundled, to one shoulder. It was tedious carrying them both, but I couldn't risk one of them breaking a leg on the traitorous climb down. Sanshouuo would just have to manage, as there was no way I could carry him. Temari and Gaara once tried to haul him into the shed when I had a cold and couldn't manipulate him with chakra, and together they couldn't lift him.

Temari had made me soup…

I shook my head to dispel the memory. I wouldn't think about that now. Sliding down into the tunnel below the boulder, I began my painstaking descent.

"Come on, Sanshouuo," I murmured, trying to coax the giant puppet into the small space. Eventually, I got him inside and started to maneuver him down the slope behind me. The straps cut into my shoulders, and I considered putting Karasu and Kuroari onto Sanshouuo's back, but dismissed the idea. I didn't trust the massive puppet's footing on smooth stone like this, and it would be bad enough if he fell. If he was carrying the other two and he fell… I shuttered.

It took another ten minutes to clamor down the steep rock wall, but eventually my feet touched solid ground. I let out a sigh of relief, drawing Sanshouuo down the last few feet and letting the other two puppets drop from my shoulders. The quiet murmur of water soothed me, and I sunk to the ground.

Nothing but stone and water all around me.

Not a grain of sand in sight.

Smiling triumphantly, I walked over to the small, underground stream. I hadn't packed much water because I had known that this was here; my main concern was food. But… I paused, listening to the scurrying sounds of desert rodents. If push came to shove, I could use Kuroari; he was a hunting puppet after all.

Dusting off my hands, I glanced up at the small sky-hole that brought light to the large cavern. There looked to be another hour or so of natural light left, and after that I could light a fire. There were enough saplings and moss to fuel a year's worth of fires along the stream bed.

This would be the perfect place to hide and train in secret; I could live here for as long as I needed to. I pulled off my sandals and set them, along with my gloves, by the stream, and turned to setting up my new home.

… … …

Gaara knelt in the sand, his hands buried up to his wrists, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Nothing," he said finally, sitting back. "I scanned the desert for a twenty mile radius, and _nothing_. Not so much as a cactus out of place. And I should now. I count them. _Every day_."

Temari shook her head. "How? Did he make for Konoha?"

Gaara shook his head. "No… even if he was riding Sanshouuo, there's no way he could have made it clear of the desert in this amount of time." Plunging his hands back into the sand, Gaara narrowed his eyes. "He's out there somewhere…" The shinobi stood, brushing sand from his clothes. "We'll just have to go out and look for him on foot."

Temari's eyes widened. "You expect us to search the whole desert?"

Gaara stared at her levelly. "Yes, if we want our brother back."

… … …

"This… is… fantastic…!" I exclaimed, flopping down on my back on the smooth stone floor. My stomach was full of ramen, I was warm and dry, I had made a splendid bed of moss… and best of all, I was alone. I was completely and totally alone, save for my puppets.

"Isn't this awesome, Kuroari?" I asked, rolling over to face the puppet. He, of course, offered no reply. I just smiled and scratched his wooden ears. "I know, it is, isn't it?"

I kicked my legs in the air. _No siblings…! No Baki telling me that I was worthless, no Temari ordering me around, no Gaara scaring my lifeless just for the fun of it…! _

"Now this," I murmured, "I could get used to. Why even train in order to return? Why not just stay here for the rest of my life?" I turned to Karasu. "You wouldn't mind, right?"

I imagined, for a moment, the puppet coming to life and answering me. I indulged in the momentary fantasy as I lay there, thinking about what Karasu and Kuroari would say if they could talk.

_What is that_? Gaara had said once. _Some bad ventriloquism act? _

Temari had chuckled. _You could earn some extra money, Kankuro! Why don't you go into ventriloquism?_

I smiled at the memory for a moment, but then sat up and shook my head furiously, scraps of moss falling from my hair. _What am I doing, thinking about them…? I don't need to think about them ever again if I don't want to! _

I stood up. "Training. Gotta get to it." I flexed my fingers, pulling on my hood. I brought Karasu and Kuroari to attention. "Wake up, guys, we've got training to do." I fingered the ninja headband on my hood. "I'll prove that I'm worthy of this… every bit as worthy as Temari or Gaara."

**(A/N) But it couldn't turn out that perfect… not by a long shot. ^^ **

**Next chapter up in a couple of days! Reviewers are eternally loved! …and get cookies! **


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N) Chapter three already! Gasp! **

**Sand sib bonding coming up. ^^ **

**Thank you so much to Dolpher and LightShadowsh for reviewing the last chapter! *hands out cookies* **

**I do not own the Sand Sibs or Naruto!**

"Temari!" Gaara snapped. "Keep up with me!" He made a sharp turn on his wave of sand, and Temari struggled to follow on her fan.

"Gaara," she panted, "we've been looking for him for over 32 hours…! I'm tired!"

Gaara stopped dead, causing Temari to nearly run into him. "Oh, you're tired, are you?" he asked angrily. "Try doing this _every_ night. Try _never_ being able to just stop and take a nap!"

Temari backed up slightly. "S-sorry… I just forgot…"

"You forgot," Gaara snorted. "Great."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Temari snapped. "I just… I just want to find him," she finished lamely.

Gaara softened despite himself. "So do I," he murmured. He noted his sister's ruffled hair and the lines around her eyes. "Here…" he murmured. "Let's just take a brief rest. Look, there's an outcropping of rock over there. Let's stop there."

… … …

I had long since fallen asleep, but I glanced up at the sound of voices. I jumped in alarm when I made out the words.

"I don't know how you go without sleep like you do," Temari was saying.

"Necessity," grunted Gaara.

"I'm surprised it hasn't killed you yet," Temari muttered, and I heard her sit down on the rock above me.

I shifted, careful not to make a sound on the rock. I lifted Karasu gently, careful not to make his joints click. I moved him quickly and silently into the shadows, and then returned for Kuroari.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Temari moaned, and I paused to listen. "We've always been three. _Always_."

"Not always," Gaara reminded her gruffly. "I wasn't 'always' included in this."

Temari made an apologetic sound. "Sorry. But the _best _times, it was always the three of us."

Gaara made a small sound, something that sounded like agreement.

"Arg!" Temari's sudden shout made me jump, and I put a hand on Kuroari's head to stop it from rattling. "This can't be happening! Kankuro…!" She gave a choked sob. "Kankuro, I'm so damn sorry…!"

I lowered my head, concentrating on drawing Kuroari into the shadows. Sanshouuo wasn't about to be dragged into hiding, so I draped some moss over the huge puppet to give him at least a little bit of coverage. Then I crouched, crawling underneath his legs and the mossy blanket.

"Come on," Gaara said briskly. "Get your nap over with. I want to be moving again in half an hour."

"Search around here," Temari mumbled, and I heard her shift, laying out on the rock. I heard Gaara rise and begin to shift the sand around.

_If he finds the entrance to the tunnel… I'm as good as caught… _I thought, panic making my heart race. _Calm, calm… he's blind… the sand won't help him… what are the chances of him finding the entrance…? _And yet… if the entrance was big enough for Sanshouuo to get through…

Unable to leave it alone, I crept up the narrow entrance shaft. The pebbles were dangerous, threatening to give me away with every step. Still, I managed to get up to the entrance without incident. I peered out, all the while knowing that doing so was exceedingly dangerous.

Gaara was pacing in the sand, grains of it wrapping around his body in his agitation. He kicked at a dune in frustration, and I noticed that the rings around his eyes seemed darker then usual. I used a single chakra string to snag a large, flat rock off the cavern flood and guide it up the shaft. _Please fit…! _I drew away from the hole and slid the rock into place.

I winced at the grinding sound that it made, but then it slipped into place, fully covering the hole and plunging the cavern into darkness. I took a deep breath, wedging it in place with bits of chakra. _Safe… _

"That's odd," I heard Gaara say, and then I heard a tapping noise on the other side of the big, flat rock. I stiffened, reinforcing the chakra holding it in place. "Sounds hollow…"

_Oh no…! _

Gaara leaned against the rock with his full weight, and I grunted under my breath counteracting the pressure. _Thank Kazekage Gaara is so skinny…! _

A memory of Temari lecturing him about that popped into my head, but I brushed it away angrily.

Gaara huffed irritably on the other side of the rock. "It sounds hollow… Oh well… if I can't find a way in… it might just be a pocket of air," he reasoned, thinking aloud, as though for my benefit. I heard him sit down with a thunk outside. "Fates!" He banged his head against the flat stone. "I am so stupid…! Why am I so stupid…?" I heard another thunk, and risked opening a tiny peep hole in the chakra seal around the stone. Gaara had lain down on his side in quite an awkward position just outside, looking as though he had simply fallen over.

He rolled onto his back, and I quickly closed the hole for fear of being spotted. But I sat in the darkness and listened as he raved softly to himself.

"Shukaku, you're supposed to be ancient, right?" he asked, seemingly talking to the demon within him. "Why did you let me make such a brainless mistake, hm? Then again, I guess relationships aren't your strong suit, hm?" He leaned against the rock heavily. "If I could… just… take it back… Kankuro…" I listened with piqued interest as this conveniently easy to understand monologue continued. "I'm a terrible brother… I always have been… but… remember what I told you about changing my life…? Well, I kind of meant that. I know you always wanted to reach out… but I never responded. Well… now there's nothing for either of us to do… I guess… it's not over, is it? It can't be over yet, before I've even gotten the chance…"

Gaara fell silent for a long time, and I felt my eyes droop with exhaustion. Then, Gaara rose, his clothes scraping against the rock.

"Temari," he called softly, almost tenderly. "Heh… when you're awake… you look so much fiercer. Now, but just look kinda… kinda peaceful… and so…" I heard something that sounded vaguely like a sob, but it was gone as quickly as I registered it. "Temari, it's time to get going!" he said gruffly, all trace of the tenderness that had been there gone.

Temari stirred; I heard the scraping of cloth on the stone above my head. She yawned loudly. "Oh… okay."

"We should search the western side of the desert next," Gaara said authoritatively. "Let's get on it."

Temari sighed and rose. "Alrighty. The sooner we find him the better, right?"

Gaara's feet scuffed on the ground. "Yeah. I'm worried about him."

Temari made a small sound of surprise, and I stifled a similar exclamation.

"How come?" Temari asked.

"Because of what he took with him," Gaara said. "He hardly took any water… and a lot… well, a lot of the waterways around here flow from the same place. A little while ago, a viper fell into the source and drowned. It was a poisonous viper. We still haven't managed to clean all the poison out of the water… some of the waterways are fine now, but the closer you are to the source… the more poisonous the water is. I have no doubt that Kankuro has found some source of water… but if it's poisonous or not we can't know."

I grinned tightly. _Oh, don't worry about this water. I already tested it for the poison. Do you think that I don't pay attention to the village news?_

Temari, however, seemed to think that I was completely disconnected and stupid. "We have to hurry then!" she said, standing so suddenly that she kicked the huge boulder. I stifled a yelp as the force transferred to me, and I tumbled backwards. I hit the ground with surprising force, smothering a cry of pain. Luckily, neither of my sibs seemed to notice. They were gone in a couple of heartbeats.

"Ow…" I moaned, clutching at my wrist. It was bloody where I had twisted it as I landed, and was already swelling. "Ouch!"

_That's just wonderful… oh well… not _too_ terrible… it's not like I'm in any rush… _I busied myself with making a crude splint out of saplings and moss, which was easier said than done in the dim light, as the entrance was still blocked off. After I did that, I scrabbled up the tunnel and pulled the boulder free. Light flooded the cavern, and I took a deep breath.

Gaara's words kept echoing in my ears, but I silenced them with an effort. _I'll become someone who can stand by you as an equal…! _I vowed. Then, I jumped slightly at how my focus had shifted from anger to motivation. _Huh… fancy that. _

Suddenly, instead of trying to get away from my sibs…

I wanted to get back to them.

**(A/N) Heehee... you like? The real excitement starts in the next chapter! So please stay tuned and review! It seriously makes my night!**

**... I'm a bit worried about Gaara's characterization. We really don't have anything on him from this time period, and he's such an... endlessly changing character! Sorry if you guys think he's a bit OOC.**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N) This is pretty late… my apologies. **

**Thank you so, so much to MidniteCurse4Eternity, LightShadowsh, mangagranatcat, and Dolpher for reviewing! *hugs* **

**If you haven't seen Shippuden 182, you won't recognize Korobi or Yaoki. Just know that they're possibly Gaara's friends. ^^ (Btw, I highly recommend watching it. It's great for a filler episode. ^^) **

**I do not own Naruto or any of the Sand Sibs. Just needed to get that across. **

"Gaara! Temari!" Baki's eyes were wide with panic as the two exhausted siblings dragged themselves back into Suna. "Let me see your water bottles, now!"

Blinking in confusion, the two young shinobi handed their bottles over. A moment later, Baki sighed in relief.

"It's okay," he murmured. "This is older water… perfectly clean." His eyes flashed. "We've got an emergency on our hands! The water…!" Their sensei doubled over abruptly, hacking up blood. Temari dropped down beside him, her eyes widening in concern.

"Baki? Baki, what's wrong?"

"The water," Gaara murmured gravely. "It's worse than we thought." He spun around. "Look after him!" he shot over his shoulder, motioning to Baki. "He shouldn't be on his feet."

The villagers met Gaara in a hoard, with a collective murmuring of barely suppressed panic. Even though the decision wasn't official, most of the villagers already looked to Gaara as though he was Kazekage. Though some still objected, and violently at times, he was quickly garnering support, especially among the younger population of Suna. This pleased Gaara to no end (as much as Gaara was ever pleased…), but in such circumstances it was a lot of pressure.

"Give me the situation," he ordered a young sand ninja, who just happened to be in the front of the crowd.

"We were wrong about the water," the shinobi said bluntly, and Gaara noted a thin stain of blood along his jaw line. "The poison has spread father then we thought… I don't think any underground water is safe."

Gaara blinked. "But… I tested that water _personally_." He shook his head. "No, that's _impossible_. We've all been drinking this water for the past week; cooking with it, showering with it. No simple snake could cause this massive poisoning."

"My thoughts exactly," Temari murmured, coming up behind her brother while partially supporting Baki. "We think like siblings, even if we don't act like it at times."

Gaara nodded.

"Sabotage," they said together, and Baki looked between them approvingly.

"Exactly," Gaara murmured. "The other hidden villages must know of Suna's innate weakness: our water supply. That is what they targeted." _Or maybe not the other villages, _he thought. _Perhaps… _

"Temari, there's one village that we _know_ didn't do this, and that's Konoha," Gaara said sternly. "You must go there and ask their help; this village can't last long without a clean water supply. Baki, you need to get to the infirmary, now."

"There's no room," Baki grunted. "I'm not one of the worst."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Then I want a roll call of everyone here and how sick they are. Temari!" he snapped. "Why are you still here? Get moving."

Temari jumped at her brother's sharp tone. "B-but… have you forgotten…"

"No, I haven't forgotten!" Gaara hissed, getting himself under control with a tremendous effort. "But this has to be done. Go!"

Temari hurriedly bowed to both Gaara and Baki (who she left leaning on a convenient bench), and hurried off as quickly as she could manage. Gaara massaged his forehead.

"Baki, if you think you're capable of this task, please do it," he growled. "If not, I would suggest you go home and rest."

"I can do it," grunted Baki. "_All _the villagers?"

Gaara nodded. "All those who are deathly ill or unable to move on one scroll, and everyone else on another, in order of fitness."

Baki nodded, pushing off from the bench and making his way slowly through the crowd.

"In the meanwhile," Gaara called over the din, jumping up onto a hastily constructed pedestal of sand, "is anyone here fit to help disconnect all the pipes?"

A few random sand shinobi raised their hands, and Gaara pointed to one chuunin that he knew and trusted. "You'll head this. I want every water pipe disconnected, but not destroyed; I want them to be able to be reconnected at a moment's notice." He glanced around. "The council will be opening up the main hall to act as an extension of the infirmary; are there any medic ninja here who are not already at the infirmary or tending to the ill?"

"They got sick, too!" a random citizen shouted, and Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"I know that," the blue eyed boy said calmly. "They are needed, though."

"Easy for you to say!" another ninja shouted. "You aren't even sick!"

"Yeah, it's so convenient that you were out of the village when the poison peeked!" called yet another.

Gaara felt his stomach churn with a sudden sick feeling, despite the fact that he hadn't had any of the poisoned water. _They don't trust me… at all…_

"How the hell do we know you aren't behind this?" shouted another.

"Gaara-sama wouldn't do that!" called one ninja, a young boy named Korobi.

"He's a damned demon!" snarled the first, stamping his foot, and the majority of the crowd swayed toward his point of view.

"He's not anymore!" yet another ninja, one called Yaoki, joined the argument. "Please, I know Gaara-sama! Gaara-sama wouldn't do something like this!"

"How can we know for sure?" a weakened jonin asked desperately. "My brother was killed by him! Have you all forgotten about the people he killed?"

Yaoki and Korobi exchanged a desperate glance as the crowd, swayed by these few insistent voices, began to yowl their doubts. Even Baki's eyes darkened with suspicion.

"How could you do this to us?"

"We trusted you!"

Gaara nearly screamed with frustration. Still, while he managed to suppress that urge, his following actions were far from rational.

"Is that what you want?" he demanded softly, his eyes shadowed with pain. "Do you want me to get sick right alongside you all? Is that what I have to do?" With a quick motion of the sand, the makeshift pedestal shifted over to the sight of the nearest water main. Chances were high that this wasn't even supposed to be clean water; more likely it was a waste-water tunnel. Still, the sand pried it open, and Gaara held his now empty water bottle to the spray. "You think I did this? You want me to get sick, just to prove that I didn't have anything to do with it?" Gaara's voice was cold, despair at the rejection driving him to do something that no sane ninja would do.

Gaara of the Sand intentionally poisoned himself, taking three long drinks of the putrid water.

The villagers grew silent; those who had stayed loyal to Gaara, such as Yaoki and Korobi, letting out faint cries of distress. The young Jinchuriki turned back to them, grimacing at the taste.

"There!" he called, eyes glowing faintly red. He flung the water bottle to the ground at the crowd's feet. "Now trust me, and obey me, and let's try to save this damned village!"

… … …

I was completely oblivious to all this angst and otherwise utter bedlam going on in the village; I was leaning back and relaxing on my bed of moss. I had just finished a hot bowl of ramen after a good five hours of training, and was more than happy with my progress for the day. Gaara was first and foremost on my mind, though, and I couldn't seem to mute his words in my mind. _He actually wants me back… like Temari… _I was seriously considering just packing up and heading back. My stomach churned, and I felt horridly sick. _If I'm stressed enough to feel physically ill… _I shuttered. _Ah well… a good night's sleep, and I'll be right back to training tomorrow. The sooner I get my training done, the sooner I can go back home. _

**(A/N) Dun dun dun… yep. Crisis time. **

**It took me forever to get the scene with Gaara right… I hope you all liked it! **

**Reviewers are loved and get… brownies! (Since cookies are so last chapter. xD) **


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N) Next chapter posted! **

**This only took so long because I couldn't decide how to portray Temari… this final version is pretty similar my first draft. ^^ Hope you all like ShikaTema! **

**A thousand "thank you" s to MidniteCurse4Eternity, LightShadowsh, and Dolpher for reviewing! **

Shikamaru was napping peacefully when Temari came tearing into the village of Konoha like a blonde whirlwind. He jumped, not pleased at being disturbed.

"You?" he grumbled. "What is it… now?" His question turned into a yelp as she threw herself onto him, her chest heaving with strain and sweat and tears dripping onto his jacket.

"Shika… maru…" she panted. "Oh it's terrible…! Suna… we'll be dead soon…!"

Shikamaru started. "What's going on?"

"Our… water supply… poisoned…" she huffed. "Kankuro… missing in the desert…! There's no safe water…! So many people sick… I don't think anyone, other… then Gaara and I… escaped… because we were out looking for Kankuro…!"

Shikamaru didn't waste any more time. "Come on!" he urged, taking her hand and intending to draw her into Konoha. What he didn't expect was the fact that the sand shinobi's legs gave out as soon as he released her. Temari's eyes widened in sudden panic, and she tried in vain to rise. Her hiccupping sobs only accentuated the uneven heaving of her chest and the jerky motions of her body as she tried to move.

To see her in such a state disturbed Shikimaru deeply. Temari was… Temari. She couldn't be defeated. And yet… here she was on her knees, unable to rise.

"What a pain. I said come on," he huffed, scooping her up bridal style.

"I'm… sorry…" she panted. "I made the trip here… in a day…"

"That's… a third of the normal time!" Shikimaru exclaimed, trotting toward the village. "Are things really that desperate in Suna?"

"We have no water, moron!" Temari snapped. "We're in the middle of a desert! Our whole village is coughing up blood! Of course we're desperate!"

Shikimaru quickened his pace considerably.

… … …

Gaara was hacking up blood within half a day.

The sand was powerless to protect him when the enemy was inside him. He could feel the poison eating away at him, first at his throat, and then at his stomach. Any food that he tried to eat was immediately and painfully thrown up. As the villagers had said, every medic ninja was equally sick, hardly able to do their job.

The whole village was going to be whipped out in one clean swoop.

_Sakura… _Gaara thought blearily. _If only Sakura was here…_ He paused in that line of thought, doubling over in sudden pain. A clump of bloody flesh was coughed up with an agonizing rattle of the chest, and splattered on the ground. Gaara wasn't fazed by the sight of his own blood anymore; it was commonplace now. He clutched at his sides, unable to breath for a moment. There were people ten times worse than him, though. Baki himself couldn't stand anymore, and half a dozen people had already died.

Everyone was thirsty, hungry, and tired. More than anything, they were in pain. If anything good was to come of this, it was that they were seeing Gaara suffer alongside them. With every painful breath that he drew, the villagers gained respect for him. But Gaara had a proverbial ace up his sleeve.

Shukaku could counteract the poison.

If Gaara went into full possession form, every drop of poison would be expelled instantly. He didn't particularly want to do that, for three reasons: first, he wasn't a fan of perfect possession in any situation; second, he didn't want this sacrifice to mean nothing with a simple out; and third, he wasn't sure that he could control perfect possession form if he was this weak.

Not the least of his worries, either, was his brother. He was worried about Kankuro, and whether the water he was drinking was poisoned. _He could die out in the desert… alone…! _

_Please hurry, Temari…! _

… … …

I woke up feeling _fantastic_. I stretched slowly, relishing the popping of joints and stretching of muscles. My twisted wrist felt considerably better, and I let out a long sigh of contentment. The rock was warm under me, and I brushed the moss out of my hair quickly. I stood, straightening my clothes.

"Good morning, boys!" I called, acknowledging the three wooden puppets. "Ready for another day of training?" I stretched my arms, cracking my shoulders. I couldn't believe the extra strength I had gained just from training for half a week; I had two new jutsus, one of which was in progress, the other of which I was close to mastering. _This is great! I should live out here forever! _

But Gaara… and Temari…

_No, I won't stay out here forever. _

I wondered idly how Gaara's bid for Kazekage was going. _Will I still be out here when he gets coroneted…? My own brother's coronation… _

I made up my mind, then.

_I'll just stop by the main hall tomorrow. I won't be spotted… I'll be able to see how everybody's doing… and maybe pick up some more food,_ I added, glancing at the dwindling pile. I flexed my fingers. _But that's tomorrow. For now… training! _

… … …

Temari, to her eternal credit, drove Sakura and Shikimaru much faster than they would have liked. Shikimaru had surprised everyone, actually insisting on going on this mission, not even mentioning what a pain it was. Now he ran beside Temari, poised to catch her if she collapsed.

Which was inevitable.

With a cry of dismay, the blonde went down. Only Shikimaru's arms saved her from crashing through the leafy canopy to the forest floor below. She struggled feebly against him, trying to get back on her feet.

"We know the way," he assured her with surprising tenderness, and then leaped forward resolutely.

… … …

The death toll was climbing with alarming speed, and Gaara was helpless to stop it. True, he did succeed in slowing it, and saved countless lives, which no other ninja could have done… but even he couldn't stop it completely. In the meantime, the more active he was, the faster the poison spread through his own body, as he had discovered. In line with that, he had ordered all of the villagers to stay as still as possible; he and three other shinobi, who were in relatively good health, were caring for the entire village.

Suppressed tears of frustration, pain, and fear stung Gaara's eyes as he added another body to the line awaiting burial. That was the 23rd one.

"Oh… Shukaku give me strength…" he murmured. No sooner had he said this, of course, then his body tried to force his lungs out, and he collapsed in a coughing fit. Blood splattered in the sand as he convulsed, his breath coming in sharp, rasping gasps.

"Gaara!"

Temari stumbled out of Shikimaru's arms, running towards her brother, tipping on the way, and then scrabbling the rest of the way. She bent beside him, her eyes taking in the blood coating his chest, the row of bodies beside him, and his exhausted expression.

"You're sick…" she whispered, dread making her body as heavy as stone.

Gaara nodded, his breathing beginning to calm. He cleared his throat to speak, but only succeeded in hacking up another mouthful of blood, which obviously did nothing to reassure Temari.

Sakura dropped down beside them, still breathing hard from the frantic dash to get to Suna. "I'm so sorry it took this long," she murmured, though they had nearly killed themselves getting there. "Can you talk to me?"

Gaara nodded, clearing his throat of blood. "Yeah…" he grunted, his voice rough.

"How long has it been since the poison hit?" Sakura asked, wincing at the sickly wheezing of his breath.

"About… three days…" Gaara huffed, struggling to rise.

"Stay down," Sakura advised, but Gaara payed her no heed.

"Follow me and ask whatever questions you need to," he grunted. "I need to get back to everyone." Swaying, he started to trudge back toward the makeshift hospital.

The sight of him made Temari's heart lurch. The sight of Temari made Shikamaru's heart lurch. And Sakura was nearly on her knees with pity for the sand shinobi and his people. When they reached the hospital, it became obvious just how bad things were. The air stank of disease and decay, and one of the only three remaining ninja rushed up to Gaara.

"Lord Gaara, we have another three fatalities," he reported grimly, tearstains running the length of his face, "and another two on their way out."

Gaara groaned aloud, covering his eyes for a moment. "Alright… please get the fatalities clear, and make sure the other two… have someone to hold their hand."

Temari's eyes widened at how bad things had gotten in just two days. But there was next to no water in the village, and everyone was being eaten away by the corrosive poison. _Including Gaara… _

"Help is here, and more is on the way," Shikamaru announced, his voice quavering ever so slightly in the face of such suffering. "Sakura and I are here to tend to the sick, and more ninja are coming with supplies of water and food."

Gaara lowered his head, looking, for a moment, like he wouldn't bring it back up again. "Thank you. Suna thanks you."

_I've never seen him like this… _Temari thought with a shiver. _He looks… defeated._

… … …

"Alright, be good, guys!" I said briskly, patting Karasu on the head. "You'll look after the other two, right? Good. I'm going to head out at sunrise, but I'll be back before noon."

_Was I just… having a conversation… _

"I've gotta stop doing that," I murmured. "I mean, to a certain extent it's only natural for a puppet master to talk to their puppets, but I think I might be…" I trailed off. "Talking to myself is even worse."

Pausing, I glanced at my scrolls in the corner. _There's no reason to…_ but for some reason, my body moved to pick them up anyway, slinging them across my back.

… … …

"Is it time?" the demon asked his elder sibling, licking his lips greedily. "Is it time to destroy Suna? There are so many fresh bodies…"

The elder demon nodded slowly. "We'll attack at sunrise. Not a sand ninja will be left. We'll even get that boy… the one that holds our little brother within him."

**(A/N) Le gasp! Shocker! Cliffhanger! ; 3 **

**Reviewers get lie-free cake! **


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N) Chapter 6! Woot! After this, we've only got four more and an epilogue! **

**Thank you so much to MidniteCurse4Eternity, Dolpher, and LightShadowsh for reviewing! **

Sakura whipped sweat from her brow, concentrating on the poison running through so many sand shinobis' veins. The dehydration was really the most deadly thing. There was no water that could be trusted in the whole village.

But of all the people, the pink-haired medic was the most worried about Gaara.

The poison in his body was slightly different than that affecting the others. It was attacking his respiratory system more aggressively, making her worry about the very real possibility of him just dropping over dead.

She shuttered at the thought.

"Gaara?" she called softly. For a moment, he failed to rise, and her chest constricted with the fear that just that had happened. A heartbeat later, though, his head rose slowly.

"Sakura…" he rasped, his voice little more than a whisper. "How's Baki…?"

Sakura's heart lurched, and she brushed the hair away from Baki's sweat-drenched face.

"He's… stable," she assured him, keeping her tones hushed.

Gaara sighed in relief, but the sound was thick with the blood in his throat. Sakura leaned closer to him.

"Gaara… there's something different… about the poison in you," she began, "and… Temari said, at first, that you hadn't been poisoned."

Gaara's shoulders slumped. His eyes, dim with sickness, were glued to the ground.

"I _wasn't _poisoned," he whispered, his voice so low and distorted that she had to strain to hear him. "I poisoned myself. I _chose_ to drink the poisoned water."

"…" Sakura sat in shocked silence for a moment. "…Why?" It was all she could say.

Gaara let out a heavy breath, and it rattled sickeningly in his chest.

"The villagers thought I did it," he finally said. "And that…"

"So you did it… to prove that you didn't have anything to do with it?"

He nodded slowly. "I needed them to trust me… I couldn't help them otherwise. It may have been stupid, but… if I wasn't in exactly the same situation as them…" He broke off, coughing and wheezing, blood dripping from his gaping jaws.

And then Sakura's mind hit upon it.

"That's it…" she whispered. "The poison changed when it sat in the water for half a day… that's it! Gaara, I know it! I know what this poison is!"

Gaara's dull eyes brightened slightly. "Then there's hope…?"

"Yes!" Sakura cried, springing to her feet in a sudden surge of energy. "Oh, there's more then hope! I know how to stop it!"

Gaara's eyes widened, and he struggled to his feet. Sakura let out a squeak of alarm as he swayed and staggered, struggling to keep his feet underneath him.

"I'm fine," he huffed, blood spattering from his lips with every word. "Let's get to the herb center."

Sakura tiptoed through the sleeping sick, Gaara following with a bit less grace. Temari glanced up from tending to the sick when her brother and Sakura passed. Her heart clenched at the tremble in his gait, and the heavy shuddering in his ribcage.

"Where are you going?" she whispered, rising quickly and elegantly, despite her fatigue.

"Does she know?" Sakura asked Gaara quickly, under her breath. At a quick shake of the head from the shinobi, she turned to Temari. "We've made a breakthrough!" she announced happily. "I think I know how to counteract the poison!"

Temari's legs nearly gave out in her relief. "Oh thank the Kazekage!" she breathed.

Sakura, emerging into the street, glanced up at the lightening sky. "Huh. Here comes the dawn. How poignant."

… … …

I crept over the sands, every ounce of my attention on the village ahead of me. I knew that Gaara took long walks at night, and was especially wary of getting caught. _I can't return yet,_ I reminded myself. _I'm only checking in… not actually talking to anyone._

Crawling on my stomach over the last dune, I peered down into the village. In a heartbeat, I knew that something was off. It was dawn, but the streets shouldn't be as deserted as they were. The lights were all turned off, and our neighbor's flowers were wilting. She watered those things meticulously, every day and night, to protect them from the desert dryness and heat.

A sick, rattling cough split the night air, and I jumped out of my skin. Slinking just a bit closer, I peeked around the outermost guard tower.

Three people were on the steps of the main hall, two on their feet and one on his knees between them. The two girls, one with unmistakable pink hair and the other with four disheveled pony tails, knelt over the third as he sunk to his knees, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Gaara.

Gaara was coughing up blood.

No, that was too gentle a description; soft peddling it.

Gaara was doubled over, in obvious pain, hacking up clumps of bloody flesh.

"GAARA!"

I screamed his name, so loudly that it set my ears ringing. A moment after I shouted it, a deep rumbling rose up from the desert, as though rising with the sun. I huge creature appeared on the horizon, and I almost threw up from cold, hard fear.

"It can't… it can't be… Gaara's right there!" I whispered. That reminded me of the situation unfolding on the streets of Suna, and I spared the Shukaku-like beast not another glance. "Gaara!"

I never reached my brother.

"Die!" something hissed behind me, and I felt my body picked up and hoisted into the air. When I managed to right myself, I saw a creature behind me, much like both Shukaku and the thing standing on the horizon. It appeared to be smaller than the one approaching, but bigger then Shukaku. That alone was enough to boggle the mind.

I managed to skip aside before its claws gouged a huge rut in the ground, and the beast hissed in surprise. Then, with a huge crashing of sand… it simply melted away, leaving in its place a young boy of perhaps 15 years old. He stood naked with a mess of blue ruins across his skin that matched Shukaku's pattering to a tee.

"How can you move?" he asked curiously. "This was supposed to be an effortless slaughter!"

I blinked, utterly confused. "Who are you? And what are you talking about?"

The boy cackled, and I caught a hint of Shukaku's twisted laugh in his voice. "Who am I? I have no name that you would understand… Let is suffice to say that I'm here to retrieve my little brother, the one you call Gaara of the Sand, and the one we call Shukaku of the Sand." He cocked his head. "And yet… we were to meet no resistance! Every pitiful human in this village was supposed to be dead or dying! Held fast within the claws of…"

… … …

"Akuma no Tsume," Sakura said. "Demon Claws. It's a poison that can only be produced by a Tailed… and only counteracted by a very specific mixture."

"It can only… be produced by a Tailed…?" Gaara wheezed, struggling to keep up. "Like… Shukaku…?"

Sakura nodded shortly. "Yeah. Lady Fifth taught me about it, since Naruto-kun has Kyubi inside him. It's lucky, too; only she, Lord Fourth and Lord Fifth have ever dealt with it."

Temari gave a little hop that was half excitement and half anxiety.

"That means… that there's a Tailed after us…!" she whispered fearfully.

Sakura nodded. "That's the only solution."

Gaara doubled over without warning, in sudden and acute pain. Sakura and Temari dropped down beside him as he shook violently, coughing uncontrollably, his chest heaving.

"GAARA!"

Temari gasped. "Kankuro…?"

A roar interrupted her, and her eyes found the two beasts; one on either side of the village.

"Oh… oh, Kazekage…"

… … …

The boy blinked. "Akuma no Tsume is nothing to laugh about. How is it that you escaped it? In the desert, water is life; every single villager should have had a drink of that black water."

"Poison…!" I gasped, everything falling into place; Gaara was such a state because he was suffering from the affects of this Akuma no Tsume; I was unaffected because it _wasn't _the underwater that was poisoned, it was the village's own supply; and these creatures were attacking now because they wanted Gaara, and Shukaku within him.

And now they were going to destroy the village, which was no doubt on its knees.

I swallowed my fear forcefully. "You go no farther…!" I declared, planting my feet firmly in the sand. "I won't let you get my brother, or my village!"

The boy laughed manically. "Ah, so this Gaara is your brother? How convenient!" Abruptly, the boy transformed. It was so much faster than Gaara's transformation, and all the more terrifying. The beast roared over me, its claws poised to strike.

… … …

Kankuro was standing on the ridge, facing the smaller of the two Shukaku-like creatures. Temari stared in shock, reeling from this sudden development. Terror froze her heart.

"What the…?" Gaara whispered, his eyes blurred. "Am I hallucinating…?"

"No…" Sakura murmured. "You're not…"

"You go no farther!" they heard Kankuro shout. "I won't let you get my brother, or my village!"

"Kankuro…" Gaara whispered. He drew himself up to his feet, forcing his body upright. "I'll go fight…"

"No!" Temari and Sakura shouted in unison, but too late. Gaara had already summoned the sand to his aid, and was crouching unsteadily upon it, using a hand to secure himself. He urged the wave of sand up toward the ridge, toward his brother.

"We've got another one to worry about, too," Sakura told Temari, when the blonde made a motion to follow her brother. She motioned to the other Tailed, who was approaching from the other side. "We'll fight this one, and leave the boys to that one."

Temari closed her eyes for a moment, torn apart at the thought of Kankuro, whose condition she didn't even know, and Gaara, who was like the walking dead, fighting a Shukaku look-alike. But she saw Sakura's logic.

"Alright," she said, bracing herself. "Let's go."

_Please, boys… please… _A single tear rolled down the tough-as-nails shinobi's cheek as she thought of her brothers. _Look after each other… and come back to me… _

**(A/N) Epic battle's a-coming. That's all I've got to say. ^^ **

**Reviewers are loved! And get… pie! (running out of sweets) **


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N) Sorry this is kind of late (lol, my other stories usually get updated once a week, if that, so you guys are actually quite lucky) but Kankuro's brandy new jutsus actually take quite a bit of work come up with. ^^ **

**Explanation and action coming up! **

**Thank you so much to LightShadowsh, Dolpher, and MidniteCurse4Eternity for reviewing! **

**I do not own any of the sand sibs. Or Shikamaru. Or Sakura. I do have a kitten named Kankuro… but technically, he's a shelter kitten, so he's not mine, either. T-T**

I squared my shoulders, facing the demon with as much courage as I could muster. Reaching behind me, I grabbed for my scrolls, now unbelievably relived that I had thought to bring them.

_I've got… _it_… I can use _that_ if I really need to… but during training… any way I look at it, I'm a huge disadvantage. _

"You think you can defeat me, mortal?" the demon shrieked, lashing its tail. "I'll destroy the village, and take your precious brother! His death will free _my_ brother! And then the world will be at our feet again!"

I braced myself. "Not without getting through me, first."

The Tailed laughed hysterically. "Not a problem!" Its claws swept down, both paws closing in on me. Its speed shocked me, and I was momentarily frozen by its swirling black and gold gaze.

_It's over… _

_I'm dead. _

A sudden explosion of sand threw me backwards, but I landed in a soft cushion of the grains. I opened my eyes slowly.

"Hey," Gaara looked down at me from the corner of his eye, his voice barely a rasping whisper, "no playing hero, okay?"

"Gaara…" I breathed, my attention instantly off of the giant sand monster and onto Gaara, who was disheveled and utterly sick. His vest was soaked with his own blood, and his eyes were dull and sunk in his head.

"Let's get some teamwork going," he snapped, managing to sound commanding even when he was interrupted by a cough and spout of blood. "No more of these suicide moves."

I got up and stood beside him, facing the Tailed. A tight grin formed on my face. "Let's do it."

… … …

Temari stared up at the Tailed, in complete and utter shock.

"It's so much bigger then Shukaku," was all she could murmur.

"We can take it!" shouted Sakura, trying to encourage the trembling sand shinobi. In reality, she knew that neither she nor Temari were in top condition. This would be the fight of their lives.

"You're right." Temari steeled herself, thinking only of Gaara, out there fighting, and of Baki, lying unconscious… and all the other villagers.

"Look at that!" laughed the Tailed. "A couple of little flies!"

Temari nipped her thumb, knowing that she needed as many allies as she could get in this fight.

"Kamatari!" she shouted, swishing her blood-streaked fan. "Blades' Dance!"

The weasel demon appeared on her command, and Sakura took a surprised step backward. Kamatari chattered, suddenly realizing what he faced.

"It's alright," Temari soothed her pet. "We can take this beast."

"You?" roared the Tailed. "Take me? This should be entertaining!"

Temari stiffened, fire replacing the icy fear in her blood. "Kamatari! Let's go!" she commanded, darting forward. She leaped up, landing in a crouch atop her fan and gliding up to eye-level with the Tailed. "Leave!" she commanded. "Or be destroyed!"

The Tailed only laughed. The only reply that it gave was to snap at her with deadly teeth.

"Go, Kamatari!" Temari cried, leaping off the fan for a moment to send a furry of wind toward the creature. Kamatari slashed at it, faster than the eye could follow. The beast roared in sudden pain as it was pierced by, what felt like to it, a thousand tiny needles. Its tail smashed down, barely catching the edge of Temari's fan.

The sand shinobi went flying, and Kamatari landed beside her, a bloody heap of fur. Sakura rushed up as Temari, more than concerned for her furry partner, dismissed the weasel.

"It's far too strong," she gasped to Sakura, wincing at a stinging wound. "But all we can do is slow it down. We can't give up now. To the death?"

Sakura gulped, thinking once more of Naruto, and Sasuke. Sasuke…

"Yeah. To the death."

"Hey, ladies," a voice sounded behind them. "Who said anything about 'to the death?'"

… … …

Gaara paused, closing his eyes, momentarily in pain. The sand around him wavered for a moment, and I caught sight of it ripple over his skin.

"It's been a long time, little brother!" cackled the Tailed.

Gaara scowled. "As the one within me remembers it, you were created by him. That makes you the younger."

"Created…?" I asked, confused.

Gaara closed his eyes, lost in memories that weren't his. "Yes. Shukaku… was lonely. As I once was. And so… it created two companions; a brother… and a sister."

I shuttered at the irony that Gaara no doubt noticed.

"Shukaku placed itself as the youngest in the trio," Gaara continued, gasping for breath and clutching at his chest as he struggled to speak. "And now they've come back for him."

"How dare you speak for Shukaku, Host?" the Tailed demanded.

"You are a shadow of Shukaku!" Gaara shouted as loudly as he could manage. "You are _nothing_ unless Shukaku wills it!"

"Shukaku…" growled the Tailed, "I will free you from that impudent host…!"

It struck suddenly and mercilessly. Its tail whipped up a huge title wave of sand, and only Gaara grabbing my hood and hoisting me up saved me from being buried alive. The sand continued toward the village, but with a gesture, Gaara redirected it.

"Chances are high," Gaara wheezed, setting me down, "that poison won't work against it."

I nodded shortly. "I know. I've learned a few new tricks."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "You don't get it, Kankuro," he hissed. "You don't get it! No matter what 'tricks' you've learned, you can't stand up to a biju!"

I bristled. "You might say so, but I'm not a useless as everyone things!" I snapped, and then whipped out a scroll, calling "Karasu!" as though the puppet could hear me. Leaping up, I landed, sure-footed, on his wooden back. Gaara, with little else to do, followed on his sand. Bringing Karasu level with the Tailed's gaze, I planted my feet firmly on his back.

"That's… not physically possible…" Gaara, behind me, murmured, and I grinned.

"I told you! I've learned some new tricks!"

The Tailed beast shrieked, its segmented tail crashing though the air. Gaara and I both dodged, and the missed attack swept up a massive wave of sand. My brother, with a deft flick of his wrist, redirected it. He and the biju exchanged a couple of lightning fast attacks; I let them, watching in silence and observing the demon's movements. _Attack-step defend; attack-step defend… _bracing Karasu, I launched the puppet toward the demon, leaping up and (a bit unnecessarily, I admit) executed a perfect somersault, mid-air, as I plunged toward the earth. Flicking my fingers in the precious seconds it took me to fall, I sent a hail of poisonous needles straight into the demon's face. it roared, momentarily blind, as I hit the sand.

I let my legs crumple as I landed to avoid their snapping, rolling backwards across the soft dune. Bouncing up, I looked skyward to my battling brother. I spared a moment to grin; the Tailed had staggered backwards, startled and blinded by my attack. Gaara had taken advantage of this, driving the beast back with several devastating assaults.

But I couldn't ignore the rattling cough that shook his body or the blood dripping down his chin; he was in bad shape, and I couldn't let him fight alone.

I stopped Karasu before he hit the sand, reestablishing the chakra link between us. Then, grinning, I began to weave signs; Karasu, mimicking me, wove them too.

"Gaara!" I called up, not pausing in my hand motions. "You're gonna want to get clear!" Reaching the final sign in the sequence, I felt steam dance across my skin. "Ningyōtsukai no Tsuin no Jutsu (Art of the Puppeteer's Twin)!"

**(A/N) Part one of the epic battle is done! It's fun but a pain to write Kankuro's battles! His puppeteer's jutsus are quite annoying, you know. **

**Reviewers… get… *thinking* *thinking* *thinking* … ice cream. Ice Cream Sundays, to be specific. Need to get creative here. **


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N) Next chapter! Chapter eight! Only two more and an epilogue after this one! **

**In this chapter, Kankuro whips out a couple shiny new jutsus, Shikamaru surprises everyone with a brandy new trick, and there's some major ShikaTema going on… as in sparks are flying. Prepare yourself. x3**

**Thank you so much to LightShadowsh, Dolpher, and MidniteCurse4Eternity (as always) for reviewing! It's so wonderful to have three dedicated reviewers! *hugs* **

**I own nothing. 'Cept Torakage. I **_**wish**_** I owned Torakage (you'll get it in a minute, I promise). **

Temari and Sakura whipped around. Shikamaru stood, slouched, one hand on his hip.

"Jeez, you girls and your drama. 'To the death.' Feh." He cracked his knuckles. "Not with me around."

Temari spared an instant to smile, ever so slightly. "Talk about drama," she chuckled. "Playing the gallant knight, now?"

Shikamaru smirked. "I just can't stand to leave you girls hanging." He nipped his thumb, wincing at the blood. "Combat like this isn't my style… but I've learned a few new tricks." He thrust his hand down. "Summoning!"

Temari hadn't seen anything like it since Naruto and Gaara's battle. In fact, Gamabunta seemed like a lame party trick compared to this.

"Wow…" was all Temari could say.

Shikamaru shrugged, seeming to think nothing of it. He leaned against the massive beast's furry ankle. "Asuma-sensei said I had a talent for summoning. So I let him teach me a couple of things."

Before them stood an absolutely _enormous_ cat. It was a tiger, black as pitch, with jagged, dark grey lines along its flank. Its muscled pelt rippled as it breathed deeply. Its shadow flowed easily, blending evenly with Shikamaru's so much smaller one.

"Shikamaru…" it rumbled, its voice shaking every grain of sand around them. "You certainly are a troublesome boy. You're almost as annoying as a woman. You interrupted my nap, _again._ You know, it's kind of not worth the effort of answering you."

Temari almost laughed out loud. "Oh my Kazekage…" she whispered to Sakura, "it's like a giant, furry version of Shikamaru."

"Jeez," growled the tiger, and it was all too easy to imagine it putting one paw on the back of its neck. "What a pain you humans are."

"This is Torakage," Shikamaru mumbled, pulling away from the tiger's ankle as it lifted its huge paw in an annoyed gesture. "Shadow Tiger."

The tiger lowered its giant head, resting its chin flat on the ground. Even in this position, Temari could just barely reach the tip of its nose if she stood on her tiptoes. Torakage looked down at the two girls with an intelligent gaze, its nearly black eyes boring into them.

"Ah… you with the four pigtails," it rumbled. "You must be the one that Shikamaru is always…"

"Hey!" shouted Shikamaru, more energetic then Temari had ever seen him as he tried to distract all three of them before Torakage could continue. "The problem at hand, guys?"

Very luckily for Shikamaru and his pride, the Tailed got up the nerve to move at that exact moment.

"A big kitty cat isn't going to help you!" it taunted, clicking its massive jaws.

Torakage raised his head and let out such a bone chilling growl that even Shikamaru shivered.

"Kitty… cat…?" the huge tiger asked. His fur bristled, and claws as thick as tree trunks and sharp as samurai swords slid out from his paws. "This is the guy you want me to fight, Shikamaru? This faded copy of Shukaku? No problem. Count me in."

Shikamaru nodded approvingly. "You guys better get on," he advised the two girls as Torakage bent his massive head again. Shikamaru grabbed a whisker, scrabbling up and onto the huge cat's muzzle. "Otherwise, you'll be left behind." The two girls took the tip, scrambling up behind the male shinobi. "Hang on tightly," Shikamaru instructed. Neither girl needed to be told that. "Alright, Torakage!" called Shikamaru. "Let's get this over with!"

… … …

"Why don't _we_ have a giant tiger on our team?" I asked jealously, looking across the roofs of Suna at the battle being waged opposite us.

Gaara, landing beside me, looked at me strangely out of the corner of his eye. "We don't need one," he answered seriously, but even as he said it he lost more blood. His breathing was labored and ragged; he was struggling desperately to just stay on his feet.

_We have to finish this quickly!_ I thought.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be an option.

… … …

Torakage roared, the sound ringing over the sands and nearly deafening his three riders. Temari staggered, tipping into Shikamaru. The leaf shinobi caught her deftly, allowing her to regain her balance. Her skin grew hot at the contact.

"I'm fine," she grunted, pushing off of him and nearly losing her footing again. Crouching down and clinging to the tiger's fur, she cursed under her breath.

"Takes some getting used to," Shikamaru murmured, but this didn't seem to apply to him. A web of shadows wrapped around his ankles, holding him steady.

With a ferocious snarl, Torakage sprang forward, his hind feet kicking up a massive amount of sand. He hit the Tailed head on, burying his fangs in its neck. The beast roared, thrashing in Torakage's grasp. Even Shikamaru swayed dangerously.

"I suggest we get farther up!" he shouted over the din, motioning farther up the tiger's head.

"If I let go, I'm gonna fall!" Temari snapped, tightening her grip on the whisker that she was clinging to.

"Same here," gasped Sakura, knotting her fingers more tightly in the tiger's fur. She looked a bit green.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "I'm not gonna let you fall," he grunted, gabbing onto Sakura, who was closest. Shadows wrapped around both of them, steadying them as Shikamaru half-carried the pink-haired girl onto Torakage's head.

The sand beast slammed its claws into Torakage's flank suddenly, and with unbelievable strength. Torakage let out an unearthly shriek of pain and staggered back.

Unfortunately, not all of his passengers came with him.

Temari, weakened from strain and dehydration, couldn't hold onto his fur. With a shrill scream of terror, she reached for her fan, only to spot it spiraling downward to the sands. In freefall, her hair came undone, whipping about her face in a rippling bundle.

"Oof…!" She hit something relatively hard, bouncing slightly and beginning to slide downward. Out of instinct, she clung to the surface, stopping her decent. She opened her eyes slowly, shivering with adrenaline.

A huge, swirling, black and gold eye gazed back at her.

"What have we here?" rumbled the sand demon, and its tongue swiped around its jaws, brushing her feet.

Temari _screamed_.

"Temari!"

She looked up, eyes wide with panic, to see Shikamaru. He leaped from Torakage's head and landed beside her.

"I won't let you down," he whispered. "I think it's my turn to protect you."

… … …

The Tailed struck with unfettered ferocity, slicing a hole in Gaara's weakened defense. I could only watch as his body was snagged and tossed up into the air like a limp bit of moss. The sand tried to protect him, but it just couldn't.

As my jutsu, the Art of the Puppeteer's Twin, finished, I shook my head. Karasu mimicked me perfectly, and we both looked to Gaara.

"Lend me some sand!" both of us called, and an instant later a sandy staircase of sorts rose from the dunes. Nodding shortly, I directed Karasu up before me. Powerless chakra extending from my twin's fingers seemed to guide my own movements, making it nearly impossible to tell us apart. At a flick of my fingers, Karasu made a mesh of his hands, allowing me to leap up and toward the demons. The puppet, at my instruction, followed. Under normal circumstances exposing myself would have been risky at best, but with Karasu I could even maneuver in mid-air.

"Gaara!" I called though the wind, issuing one final warning. "You're going to want to take cover!" Brining my hands together in another series of signs, I called out "Sabaku no Katen no Jutsu (Art of the Desert's Curtain)!"

A haze of sand billowed up behind me, glowing luminescent blue with my own chakra. Wincing as the sheer life-force was drained from me, I hooked two chakra strings to the demon's ear. As the name suggested, the Desert's Curtain was only an illusionary technique, cover for my real attack. Swinging up with Karasu beside me, I landed lightly on the demon's back. The chakra-charged sand swept in around us as the creature roared.

"Tamashi no Ningyo Geki no Jutsu (Art of the Puppetry of Souls)!" I chanted, thrusting my hand down against the biju's rough skin.

My heart hammered against my ribs; I had never tested this jutsu, learned from Chiyo-baasama, on anything living, let alone a gigantic demon. I shuttered as my chakra was drained and Karasu, still in human form, placed his hand on my back. Extending his other hand upwards, he drew my own chakra from the cloud around us, returning it to me and helping to fuel the jutsu as I reached far inside the demon, reaching for it's very soul.

**(A/N) Interesting jutsu, hmm? But it's got to have a pretty nasty drawback, as with any ultra-powerful jutsu… and how about that ShikaTema? w**

**I don't honestly know where Torakage came from… I just needed a gigantic critter to battle the other Shukaku-copy, and honestly couldn't picture him with anything but a tiger. Nope, not a deer. I just couldn't see it. And I just couldn't resist playing around with his personality a bit x3. Anyway… we've got Torakage. **

**Reviewers are loved! **


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N) Hi again! More ShikaTema in this chappy, plus dear Kankuro finally gets what he wanted. **

**Only one more chapter and the epilogue after this! Holy cake we're getting close! **

**Thank you so much to Dolpher and MidniteCurse4Eternity for reviewing! And, in answer to your question, I did create all of Kankuro's new jutsus that appear in this fic. ^^ Thanks for the compliment! **

**I do not own Naruto or the sand sibs. **

Shikamaru tightened his grip around Temari's waist. The blonde girl didn't know if she felt more flustered, exhausted or frightened. In the end, all she appeared was a bit dazed as a blush stole across her cheeks.

"Kya haha!" the Tailed laughed gleefully, swinging its head back and forth. Temari and Shikamaru swayed, only the leaf ninja's shadows keeping the pair from tumbling to their deaths.

"Do you trust me?" Shikamaru asked quietly.

Temari nodded shakily, though without hesitation. "Yes…"

Shikamaru smiled. "You're as troublesome as any woman," he said, "but somehow… I don't mind so much."

Temari didn't know how to reply. Before she could, though, her body moved without her consent. Shikamaru bounded away, her body mimicking his motions perfectly. _Shadow possession… _she realized. _He's… negating my weakness by using shadow possession… _

Shikamaru clambered up the demon's head, never faltering. He slid to a halt atop it, hanging onto its ear with Temari beside him, her position identical to his own.

"Torakage!" he yelled over the sound of the battle. "Come!"

The tiger let out an earsplitting roar, sailing though the air and striking the Tailed in a way reminiscent of a slap. Shikamaru abandoned the shadow possession for a moment, throwing himself on top of Temari to keep them both atop the monster.

"Come on!" he hissed, resuming the shadow possession and rising. "It's time to end this!" Scurrying over the demon's head, he took a huge leap, Temari following unwillingly. They both landed, rolling, on Torakage's head. Sakura didn't look up, her face buried in the side of the tiger's ear.

"Torakage!" called Shikamaru, struggling to be heard over the roar of beasts. "_That_ jutsu! Now!"

"You can't do that!" Torakage roared. "You and I both know you don't have the chakra!"

"I do!" Shikamaru said furiously. "And lend me yours! Trust me!"

Torakage roared louder than ever, half furious and half determined. Shikamaru knelt next to Temari, releasing her shadow. With three deft movements, he wove a web of darkness around her, holding her firmly in place.

"Torakage won't let anything hurt you," he promised. Temari started at the finality in his voice.

"What are you…?"

"Listen closely!" Shikamaru snapped, startling her into silence. "Whatever happens, I… I…" He closed his eyes, tightening his fist. "Damnit, why can't I say it?" Shaking his head furiously, he stood up. "Torakage! Now!" he called, and then glanced back over his shoulder.

His look told her everything that he couldn't say. His eyes, so misty now, resonated with all the love in the four great nations, and even beyond.

Shikamaru turned to shadows, and melted into Torakage.

Temari stared in shock for a moment, her throat frozen in terror. Then, a single sound was ripped from her, a long, tortured wail.

"Shikamaru!"

"He's gone," Torakage growled. "He's inside me. And he might not be coming back."

Temari blinked tears from her eyes. "No… no…!"

A blinding flash from the other side of Suna interrupted her, and she looked over to where her two brothers were fighting. The stormy cloud of sand crackled like lightning, Kankuro's distinctive blue chakra lighting up the sky like so many fireworks.

_Kankuro's chakra… he didn't… didn't use _that…

"Kankuro!" she screamed desperately, her voice trailing off into a high pitched keen. Torakage scraped at his ear with one paw, almost dislodging Sakura.

"Shut up, girl!" he snarled. "You're giving me a headache! You really are a pain! What part of 'he's inside me' don't you understand? If I fail, he's good as gone, and so are you, and your village!"

"But… my brother!" cried Temari, straining against the shadows that held her in place.

"He's fine."

Temari blinked and stopped struggling, her face upturned.

"Shikamaru…?"

"You can't see me," he whispered, "but I'm here. I'm everywhere, now… in every shadow. Kankuro is fine, at least for now."

Temari gave a shuttering sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. "And you…?" she asked breathily.

"That's beside the point."

… … …

A long wail was dragged unwillingly from me as my heart convulsed, the chakra demand becoming too much. The Tailed thrashed beneath me, now partially under my control, unable to move forward or backward. Chakra traveled like electricity though Karasu, who, in his current, human state, was acting as a medium for such a discharge. My vision flashed white for a moment, and then…

I hit it.

The demon's soul.

Yet, this particular jutsu had a side effect that Chiyo-baasama had somehow neglected to mention, that I had the misfortune of discovering in that moment.

The demon's hollow, blackened soul rushed up the chakra strings I had managed to connect to it, polluting my very life-force and sending my body into violent spasms. Karasu lost his footing, and the jutsu on him came undone. My wooden puppet went plummeting downward toward the sands. Without him bolstering my chakra with the energy I had poured into the surrounding sandstorm, my own chakra levels dipped dangerously low. The biju's vile, corrupt mind pressed in around me, swallowing up and strangling everything and anything else.

**You like it, insolent creature?** a defending voice in my own head shrieked. **Invading my mind is impossible; my strength is a thousand times greater than your feeble attempts at control! **

A fiery wave of mental agony ripped through me, and another scream broke free. I felt real tears streak my face as genjutsu claws raked at me, wave after wave of evil, putrid thoughts hitting me like the unrelenting tide. Nightmarish, gruesome images flashed though my mind, engraining themselves in my brain, and bloodthirsty demons howled in my ears.

_I have to break the connection…! _I cried, and nearly followed through with it.

_No! _another part of me screamed. _You've got it! It's immobile! You're giving Gaara al the advantage he needs! _

_Gaara… _

_Gaara, did you live for all these years with this inside your head…? _

Stealing myself, I clung to the demon's back even tighter. "I won't give in! Not to you!" I roared.

_I did it. _

My eyes widened at the thought, but it was true.

_I'm center stage. _

_I can defend those I love now. _

I grinned, despite it all.

_Even if I don't survive this… which I won't. _

… … …

Temari could only watch, frozen and held fast by Shikamaru's shadows, as Torakage threw himself at the Tailed. The tiger's massive paws landed with an earthshaking _thud_ on the demon's shadow.

"You missed!" laughed the demon manically.

Torakage grinned. "You think so?"

Temari and the Tailed both looked down to see that Torakage's own paws had dissolved, blending with the demon's shadow.

"You're life ends here," growled Torakage, radiating merciless ferocity.

The Tailed began to simply… fade away, its shape growing dimmer and dimmer, becoming more and more blurred. The demon thrashed violently, but its movements grew weaker and weaker still. Temari felt Torakage shutter under her, the massive cat's flanks heaving as it drained the very life from the demon.

"No, no, no!" shrieked the tailed, its voice growing thin and reedy.

Torakage stiffened, holding his breath as the Tailed gave one last heave… and melted into nothingness, vanishing into the tiger himself.

Torakage gave a huge sigh of relief, his legs folding neatly under him as he slumped to the ground. The shadows rolled off of Temari, and she scrabbled down to Torakage's nose, bringing herself to his eyelevel.

"Where's Shikamaru?" she asked, her voice high with tension. "Isn't he supposed to come back?"

Torakage nodded slowly, making Temari sway. "That's the basic idea," he growled. "During the jutsu, he becomes one with all shadows, including me myself. That allows Shikamaru and I to drain the life-force of anything, absorbing it and killing the enemy. Shikamaru should reappear when the jutsu is ended."

Temari blinked. "Then… then where is he…? Can't you bring him back…?"

Torakage blinked, his huge eyes sad. "Theoretically… but… I can't find him."

**(A/N) So whatever will become of everyone? Where is Shikamaru? Will Kankuro survive what Gaara has endured his whole life? You'll have to keep reading to find out. ^^ (I do so love cliffhanger endings. Not when I'm reading them; then they annoy the heck out of me. When I create them, however… they're really, really fun. ^^) **


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N) LAST CHAPTER! (and the epilogue, but that's not an official chapter, lol) **

**It was my three wonderful reviewers MidniteCurse4Eternity, LightShadowsh and Dolpher who made me update so quickly! Thank you guys so much! **

**Will Kankuro survive? You should probably be more worried about Gaara… **

My vision was dimming, all the pain around me beginning to fade. _Fates, is this the end…? _

Suddenly, the demon lurched under me. _Gaara… _I thought blearily. _Well it's about time… _

No sooner had I thought this than long tendrils of sand wrapped up around the biju, though careful to avoid me. I felt it lower as Gaara forced it to its knees before him.

"Kankuro!" he called, although his voice was little more than a rasping whisper. "Get down. I'll take it from here."

Shaking my head with a splatter of blood, I clung only tighter. Keeping the biju motionless was as important as ever; Gaara, weakened, might not have the power to alone. The Tailed thrashed madly, fighting us both now, and let out a howl that pierced my eardrum; I felt hot blood flow down the side of my face, and every sound turned fuzzy. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the pain.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it:

Gaara fell.

First he fell to his knees, his body convulsing. Then, after a moment, he collapsed onto his side. The sand around the demon loosened, and I felt myself nearly thrown off.

"Gaara!" I screamed over the din of the battle, but he didn't stir. It was a miracle of his will that the fetters on the biju remained intact at all.

"Kya haha!" the demon shrieked. "Looks like you'll die without needing my help!"

"Not if I can help it!" I cried, dragging at the chakra strings desperately and forcing the demon one, two steps backward, away from my brother. Grimacing as a strange numbness spread up my arms, I narrowed my eyes. _It won't end like this…! _

The Tailed shook its head furiously, as though to dislodge me. I knew that, in a moment, I wouldn't be able to hang on. I knew that, in a moment, I would be flung to the desert floor and be swallowed up by either sand or demon. One or the other would kill me, and I knew that. But that didn't matter.

All that mattered was hanging on for as long as I could. It was some deeply engrained, instinctual need to cling to life for as long as I possibly could; to go down fighting. All I could do was obey it.

Suddenly, there was a shape beside me. For a moment, I failed to recognize it, because of more than just my blurred vision. It was about the size of a man, but different, misshapen… with a rippling sandy and blue pelt.

"…!"

I nearly lost the grip I was fighting so hard for in my shock and horror.

Shukaku was standing beside me.

The biju had obviously taken over Gaara's body, although not enough, apparently, to counteract the poison, as its chest still rattled with Gaara's cough. Half of my brother's face was visible, but only one eye, the biju's eye, was open. The majority of his body was coated with sand. I shuttered involuntarily; was any of my brother even left?

"Don't worry."

I looked at Gaara in surprise, narrowing my eyes in an attempt to clear my vision. Gaara's blue eye snapped open and locked on me.

"I'm in control," he murmured. "Mother… Shukaku… wants it too: the death of this… shadow."

I nodded briefly, relief washing though me. But the feeling was tainted with unease. Any time Gaara was in any stage of possession from it unnerved me, and I was fairly certain that he lacked the strength to drive out the biju if it tried to take over.

"I'll be right back."

For a moment, I didn't understand his words. Then, the sand along his body began to merge with that of the biju under us, and he himself seemed to dissolve into a crashing wave of grains. In an instant, he had vanished.

Panic closed in around me, and I looked around in what I knew was a useless gesture. "Gaara?" Then, shock jolted though me as I felt his mind though my chakra connection to the Tailed; flashes of his thoughts mingled with mine; the pain he felt became my own. And then the connection was broken.

The biju, with one more tremulous roar, crashed to the ground under me. I released the jutsu, leaping away as quickly as I could from the huge mass of sand. Staggering, I fell to my knees, spinning around and searching desperately for any sign of my brother.

_There! _I spotted him among the demon's remains, lying limp among the sand. Panic ran me though like a bolt of lightning. He looked so still… I felt my heart convulse, tears coming to my eyes unbidden.

_Kankuro-niikun…? _

_I glance down. My little brother, only five years old, looks up at me. "Gaara? What's up?" _

"_Well… you and Temari… and… and me… we're siblings, right?" he asks nervously. _

_I cock my head. "Yeah, what of it?" _

"_Well… uh… what do siblings do?" his blue eyes are big and pleading, looking for only the faintest form of comfort. _

"_Well…" I think hard, sitting down in front of him at his eye level. "We look after each other. We're always there for each other. I'll always be there, okay?" _

Feeling the urge deep within me, I crawled to Gaara's side. Reaching him, I saw that he was alive, his eyes slightly open, his mouth wide with his gasping breaths. His whole body was shuttering violently, the poison eating away at him more rapidly than ever.

"Gaara…?" I whispered, shaking him gently. "Gaara?"

When it became obvious that he wasn't able to rise, I lifted him, struggling under even his small weight. I looked to the horizon where Temari and Sakura had been fighting; the Shukaku look-alike was gone, and the giant tiger was slinking into the village on its belly, stepping gingerly between the houses. Finally it flopped onto its side in the center square, its flanks heaving. I scrambled down the slope and into the village, looping Gaara's limp body around my shoulders, wrapping his arms around my neck.

"Hang on," I murmured, forcing my body to move forward. It was step after step, interrupted only by Gaara's rasping couch and his blood soaking my shoulder. It seemed like a year before I dragged both of us into the square, sinking to my knees and letting Gaara slide from my back.

"Kankuro! Gaara!" I was bowled over by my sister, who slammed into me and smothered me in a hug. "Oh god, you're both alive!"

I nodded, aware that she was crying. "Yeah… we are."

She looked up, her eyes dull and her expression heartbroken. "Sakura knows how to make the antidote," she gasped. "And the Konoha convoy with food and water and medical supplies is less than an hour away."

I took a deep breath. "Then why are you crying?"

Temari squeezed her eyes shut. "Shika… Shikamaru… he's gone."

I gasped. My sister… Temari… had always loved Shikamaru, but never told him. How could this…?

All I could do was hold her.

A giant paw thudding down on the hard-packed sand interrupted us, and the tiger lowered its head. Sakura scrambled down, a cup in her hand. She slid off the tiger's nose, landing beside us.

"Is Gaara…?" she asked, skidding to a halt a foot away from us. As if on cue, Gaara coughed again, but it gargled in his throat as he choked on his own blood. The sound made my gut fill with ice. Sakura rushed forward.

"Help him into a sitting position, or he'll choke," Sakura ordered, crouching down beside us. "Hurry!"

I got behind my brother, supporting him with my shoulder. I felt both our bodies shuttering, but was unsure if it originated with me or him. Temari hovered nearby, ready to help if need be. Sakura looked completely confident now, in her element as a medic ninja. She pried back Gaara's eyelid, and I almost dropped him in shock as blood trickled out his eye and down his cheek.

"This is bad…" Sakura whispered. "Help me get his mouth open!"

Temari moved quickly to her side, pulling Gaara's jaw down. Sakura carefully poured the sticky green herbs into his mouth, massaging his throat with the other hand.

"Come on, come on…" she breathed. The sand shinobi coughed, green herbs and red blood splattering Sakura's hand. His chest vibrated, and suddenly stopped moving. He stopped _breathing_. "Oh… oh no… come on… breath, damnit…!" She spared a glance at me. "Massage his back! If he's not breathing…!"

She didn't need to spell it out. I was watching my brother die.

"Gaara…" I growled, rubbing his back vigorously. "Come on, bro… don't give up on me now…!"

Temari fought though the tears, holding him steady. "Gaara… brother, please… please!"

Sakura's hands glowed as she tried to force my brother to breath. "Come on, Gaara! You're a fighter, I know you are…! Like Naruto! You're not going to give up now…! I know it…!"

Gaara drew a shuttering breath, followed by a furious cough.

"Gaara!" I gasped, relief sweeping over me. I saw the same emotion mimicked on Temari's face.

Gaara leaned forward, away from me, coughing and gulping in air. Even as he did, his rasping started to fade, less and less blood coming up.

"What the hell happened…?" he asked blearily, whipping green mush from his face. "Ugh…" His tongue hung from his mouth as he tried to get the taste out of his mouth. "What the… what the _hell…_?"

I laughed breathlessly, hugging him tightly. "We'll explain later," I promised, then turned to Sakura. "Let's get this to the others!"

Sakura nodded briskly, climbing back onto the tiger. "I've got the rest of the doses on Torakage's back! I'll meet you over there!"

I raised a hand in acknowledgment, helping Gaara to his feet. "We've got the antidote," I told him excitedly. "And the supplies from Kahona are less than an hour away!"

Gaara smiled, leaning heavily on me. "Yeah…"

Temari trailed behind us, and I was all too aware that not everyone had made it thought this.

When we got to the makeshift hospital, the severity of the situation really sunk in. I hadn't been in the village this entire time, so the sight almost knocked me off my feet. The scent hit me a moment later, the scent of the dead and dying. I almost dropped Gaara.

My brother pushed away from me as soon as Sakura entered with trays of medicine. I trotted after him, surprised by his sudden energy.

"I'll help," he said quickly, taking a tray from Sakura. "This way to the worst of them."

"Kankuro, Temari!" Sakura called, motioning to them. "Grab some more medicine and follow us!"

I grabbed another tray, passing one to Temari. Looking out over the villagers I had known my whole life, the ones that I loved and cared for, I realized just what a long night of work and sorrow this was going to be.

But there was hope, too. And I would be there to do what I could.

**(A/N) I had to get in that last bit of drama with Gaara. I just HAD to. ^^ **

**Only one question left unanswered, hmm? And just the epilogue left to answer it. it'll be up before Wednesday :D (that's when my finals start x_x) **


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N) Well… for those of you who said you'd miss this fanfic when it was done… **

**Good news. **

**This isn't the epilogue. This is chapter 11. **

**So the epilogue **_**after **_**this. I just couldn't get everything done without this last chapter being, like, 4,000 words. **

**I'm not entirely sure I like this chapter. Maybe that's just me being insecure. But I do hope you guys enjoy it. ^^ **

**Thank you so much to MidniteCurse4Eternity and Dolpher for reviewing! **

The death toll ended at 69.

Shikamaru, the only Konoha casualty, made 70.

I wept for days on end for the villagers who had died, along with everyone else. Gaara's coronation was being scheduled, and Baki was heading the recovery project. There was no end of work to be done in the village, and Temari and I had hardly slept for the past week. Gaara, of course, hadn't slept either, pushing himself beyond his limits to help the village recover. The supplies from Kahona were invaluable, the water and food strengthening our village.

Temari tried to distract herself with constant work, but it was a losing battle. Everywhere, even after the tiger Torakage had left, there were reminders of Shikamaru. Every shadow reminded her of the young leaf ninja, and both Gaara and I saw her raw grief. I was even quite wary of leaving her alone in her room… but when we finally got a break from the work, returning home, I was almost too tired to make it to my own room. _I hope there aren't any sharp objects up in her room…_ was my second to last conscious thought as I slumped down. My last one was: _oh, Kazekage I've missed this bed… _

… … …

Temari flopped down on her bed, letting her fan hit the ground beside her with a clatter. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was still whirling, and her heart held more pain than the human heart should have been able to. Sighing heavily, she sat back up.

"Oh, Shikamaru…" she moaned, trying to construct a perfect image of the boy that she loved in her mind's eye. "Why… why…?"

Burying her face in her hands, she thought about her life. Not just her life as a ninja, but her family, Gaara… Kankuro… all she had to live for. Tears leaked from her eyes. There was also a lot that she had to die for, though… like Shikamaru.

_What am I thinking? _She snapped internally. _I've never been one… to give up… _

Her gaze locked on the picture on her wall, the one of Shikamaru and her snapped by a teasing Kankuro. He had pointed out how much the couple they had looked, sharing a bowl of ramen in Kahona. Unknown to either her brother or her partner, it was the most valued picture that hung on her wall. One of her most treasured memories of the Kahona ninja was sharing that ramen… that was when she had looked into his dark eyes and actually realized how badly she had fallen for him.

"But I never told you…" she whispered. "I never even told you…"

Abandoning her normally course manner for a moment, she got up and ran her fingers along the photo of the shinobi she loved. A sharp ache appeared in her throat and her body shuttered with sobs.

"I never… never…"

Tears slid from her narrowed eyes. _I wasted so much time…! I Never… never showed how much I wanted to be with him… I thought we had… we had… _

"I thought we had all the time in the world…!" she choked out, pounding her fist to the wall. _And now… now I'll never get that time back… _

Sliding to the ground, one hand still on her wall, Temari bent and cradled her head between her knees, giving into the sobs that wracked her slim frame. _How could I have been so blind…? _She asked herself repeatedly, pulling at her hair with her other hand. _He's gone, gone! And I'm still here…! I'm alone… _

A wave of loneliness swept over her, and she thought of all the days spent traveling with the leaf ninja, all the hours of seemingly pointless conversation they shared. She thought of spending nights at his house for dinner, and also tending him when he fell ill. She thought of him returning that favor, staying three nights in Suna when she had caught a cold and both Kankuro and Gaara were out on missions. She remembered, felt the phantom touch of his fingers on her forehead.

"_Ah," _he had said, brushing her hair back, _"you've got a fever. You're such a troublesome woman…" _

"_I can look after myself,"_ she had replied hotly, making a motion to get up, but finding his firm hand in the way.

"_It's such a bother," _he had said, _"but a man can't just leave a woman in need. I'll stay with you until your brothers get back." _

She had been so surprised by his offer, so shocked when he even made soup…

Such little kindnesses that meant so much.

Sobbing ever harder for the memory, Temari turned away from the wall and crawled to her bed. She curled up beside it, burying her face in her blanket to quiet her wails. She was determined not to alert either of her brothers to her state, and muffled her screams of heartache with the fleecy blanket.

"Shikamaru…!" she moaned, finally exhausting herself and going limp. Her breath came in harsh gasps and her eyes seemed to have no more tears… and yet the tears kept coming, refusing to let her rest. Clutching her blanket like a lifeline, she tried to force her sobs to calm, but couldn't succeed.

_And I called him a crybaby…_ she thought vaguely.

When at last it seemed that she couldn't cry another tear, the sand shinobi dragged herself into a half-sitting position. She stood slowly, swaying unsteadily, and staggered to her dresser. The sight of herself in the mirror was hardly a surprise; her red-ringed eyes, her tearstained face, her disheveled hair and running nose. She squeezed her eyes shut, begging the world to go away.

"Please, please…" she whispered, her voice that of a broken soul. "Please, please… oh Fates…" Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she begged an unknown being for an unknown wish.

A hand touched her shoulder.

Temari looked up, her eyes stretching wide. In the mirror she saw what she couldn't have thought possible, what she couldn't have dared even think. She spun, so quickly that she dislodged the hand and got her own feet tangled in her rug.

"Oy! Why are you crying, you troublesome girl?"

Temari found herself crying again, the sobs coming uncontrollably. She flung herself at the young ninja before her, nearly knocking him over.

"You can't be real," she breathed, burying her face in his chest. And yet, here was his feel, his scent… "Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru returned her embrace, blushing and dazed. "What the…? Girl, are you going to explain this?"

Temari held him tighter, refusing to let go. Then, seized by a sudden urge to see his face, she held him at arm's length. Looking the leaf ninja over, she noted his torn vest, tangled hair, and bloodshot eyes. His face and arms were covered in scuffmarks, and even his face seemed gaunter then it had been a week ago. But his eyes were the same… so deep and dark… mesmerizing…

"You've… been gone…" Temari gasped, grasping him tightly again. Shikamaru started slightly.

"How long…?" he asked.

"A week," she answered, shutting her eyes tightly and pushing her face into his chest. Slowly, a bit awkwardly, he began to stroke her hair.

"A… week…" Shikamaru said softly, and then grasped her tightly. "I'm… sorry."

Temari drew a shuttering breath, her heartbroken tears rapidly becoming tears of joy. "But you're back…" she breathed. "You're back… you're really here…"

Shikamaru pushed his face into her hair. "I am. And I won't leave… ever again."

"I love you," Temari said, finding no shame or hesitation in the words. Shikamaru jumped slightly.

"I… I love you, too," he said shakily; then, his voice gained conviction and confidence. "I love you, Temari."

Taking her head in his hand, Shikamaru tilted her chin upwards. His lips met hers in a sudden explosion of sparks, heat trailing up both their spines as Temari reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Both panting, the pair drew back.

"Stay with me forever," Shikamaru murmured, brushing his lips along her forehead. "I don't care how troublesome you are… it's worth it."

Temari chuckled despite herself. "Glad to hear it."

Shikamaru smiled, seeming almost shy, and held her tenderly.

After countless moments, just listening to each other's heartbeats, Shikamaru voiced a hesitant thought.

"I wonder why I came back…"

Temari looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I… I didn't have the chakra I needed to get back when the jutsu ended. So, why did I suddenly come back after a week…?"

Temari narrowed her eyes. "I… I don't know…" Then, she smiled. "Call it a miracle."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "A miracle? Jeez… how cliché."

Temari huffed. "Well it's true; it's nothing short of a miracle!"

"Let's hope we never need another miracle, then," Shikamaru said, shuttering. Suddenly, his eyes drooped shut, and he slumped to the ground, one hand on his head. With an alarmed cry, Temari dropped down beside him. "Damn… a week in… wherever I was… just caught up with me. I'm dizzy as _hell_."

Temari slid her arm around his chest, helping him to his feet and to her bed. "Lay down," she ordered sternly, helping him and tucking the blanket around him. "I'm going to get Sakura to examine you."

Shikamaru shifted. "… Thanks."

With one more glance at the leaf shinobi, Temari turned and hurried downstairs.

… … …

"Kankuro! Gaara!"

I was roused by her shout; the first emotion I felt was alarm.

"Temari?" I called blearily, trying to shake off the desperately needed sleep that I had just found. Staggering up, I tripped on my own bedclothes, tipping forward and falling flat on my face. Scrambling back onto my feet, I stumbled to the door, nearly wrenching it off its hinges in my haste.

My sister almost ran me over on her way past my room. As it was I jerked back just in time; she skidded to a halt a few feet away, turning back to face me.

She was smiling.

"Kankuro, he's here…!" she gasped excitedly. "Shikamaru's back! Kankuro, he's back!"

_I'm either dreaming, or she's gone insane. _Neither option was quite appealing, although the first was preferable.

Before I could voice either, however, Temari had continued on her way down the hallway, and I was left to trail, still somewhat asleep, after her.

Gaara emerged a moment later, his eyes half-closed. He often went into these long, somewhat catatonic states to compensate for the complete lack of sleep; he would just sit there, eyes perfectly open, perfectly awake and alert… his body would just be at total rest. It was obvious that Temari's shout had interrupted one of these episodes.

"Brother, she says Shikamaru is back," I said hurriedly, grabbing Gaara's hand and leading him along. The Jinchuriki's eyes snapped open in an instant.

"That's impossible," he said bluntly.

"I know," I replied. "I don't know if she's finally lost it or _what_."

"Preferably our sister hasn't 'lost it,'" Gaara growled, and I nodded.

"Hopefully."

Temari, now out the door, was making her destination obvious; she was heading for the small guest house that Gaara had erected not a few yards from our door, where Sakura was staying. Her duties weren't quite done, and she wanted to keep an eye on Gaara as well as the village for a while longer. I quickened my pace, tightening my grip on my brother's wrist.

"Temari!" I called, but she didn't slow. "Temari, what's with this nonsense? Come back here!"

Too late; Temari had reached the door, pulled it open (disregarding the courtesy of knocking) and poked her head inside. As we caught up to her, I heard the words.

"Sakura! Sakura, Shikamaru's here! He's back! But he's not well. Could you look at him?"

I heard Sakura's voice as she replied, but couldn't make out what she said. Instead I grabbed my sister's shoulder, perhaps a little harder than necessary.

"Temari!" I said sharply. "Stop this… this nonsense! Come on, come back to the house. I know it's hard, but he's not coming back!"

Temari's eyes flared, and she brushed off my hand. "He is back!" she snapped indignantly. "Are you accusing me of hallucinating?"

"…" I couldn't quite answer that. So Gaara did it for me.

"Actually, yes," he said, stifling a yawn. "Temari, we're all sleep deprived. You've been mixing up your dreams with reality."

Temari huffed angrily. "Come up to my room, if you must. Sakura!" she added. "You too!"

And so it was that all three of us found ourselves padding after Temari up the stairs toward her room. As worried as I was about my sister, I was quite tired, and wanted to get back to sleep. Every thought of sleep vanished from my mind when my sister opened her door and, in direct contrast to everything that I had been expecting, I found myself staring straight at the leaf ninja I had, we all had, written off as long dead.

"Temari," he said, rising unsteadily.

"Shikamaru…!" Sakura exclaimed in shock. "What… how…?"

The leaf ninja smirked. "Call it a miracle," was all he would say.

**(A/N) Alright! Just the epilogue left! I still don't know if I like this chapter entirely… the clichéd gooshiness (Tip: Do not use that on some random English paper. It's not a word) isn't my usual thing. Ah well. It got what needed to be done done, didn't it now? **

**As you can probably tell by the scattered randomness of my (A/N)s, I am tired. So I shall go to sleep, and finish this fic either tonight or tomorrow. ^^ See you then! **


	12. Epilogue

**(A/N) The last installment…! *sniff sniff* Gosh I'll miss this story! **

**Thank you all so much for supporting me and reading, it really means a lot. I'm sorry this was late, I just got hit with writer's block (as I often do on the bloody **_**last chapters **_**of my fics; seriously, everything comes to a screeching halt…!) but I really did push to get this done before I head off to camp for the weekend. **

**on a quick translation note (in case you don't already know) Suna Bushin = Sand Doppelganger. (You know, like the one Gaara used in the fight with Sasuke?)  
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**Thank you, thank you, **_**and thank you**_** to my reviewers LightShadowsh, MidniteCurse4Eternity, and Dolpher! You guys have stuck with me, and your reviews always brighten my day! *passes out cookies* **

**Do they even have microphones in the Naruto universe? I honestly don't know. For my purposes, they do, simply because that's how it appeared in my brain. ^^ **

**I hope everyone enjoys the epilogue to "Out of the Shadows!" If you liked this fic, be sure to read my closing (A/N) for some special stuff! **

Two months later, I sat at the side of Suna's auditorium, watching my brother realize his dream.

_Fates that sounds… cheesy. Ah well. _

I fidgeted in my seat, uncomfortable in the fancy robes I was dressed in. Running one hand nervously though my strangely neat hair, I tried to focus just on Gaara. But the official continued on with his boring speech about the duties of the Kazekage, etc. Even as I watched, I saw Gaara's own head bob ever so slightly as he struggled to stay attentive.

My interest soon wandered across the aisle, to where Temari and Shikamaru were sitting, pressed close to each other. They had decided, in the face of the impending chuunin exams, to keep their now-official relationship under the radar, but it was quite obvious to anyone who knew either of them. The only person who _hadn't _guessed it was Shikamaru's own teammate, the girl Ino. Even in two months her ignorance (and moves on Shikamaru) had nearly resulted in more physical fights than I cared to count. I hoped she would catch on soon.

My sister caught my eye and shot me a glare, turning her head meaningfully back to the stage. With a quick nod, I turned back, folding my hands in my lap like a chastised child might. Then, before my mind had time to stray again, the elder was introducing my brother.

"… and, as everyone knows, our own Jinchuriki of the sand, son of the honorable 4th…"

"Honorable," I snorted under my breath, and Temari, who seemed to have developed super-hearing, glowered at me.

"…who has not only served our village loyally, but helped to defend it from the most terrifying of enemies just within the last few months… I give you Sabaku no Gaara!"

There was a smattering of applause. Although a lot of people, the vast majority, in fact, supported Gaara, it sometimes seemed like half the village was against him. And, considering public speaking was already a challenge for him, this would be far from easy. He stepped forward, taking the microphone from the elder; he was dressed in the beautiful blue robes of the Kazekage, although he had yet to don the second, pure white layer of cloth, as he would at the end of the ceremony. He cleared his throat and, although he was good at hiding it, I saw nervousness painted all over his face.

"This… is an honor," he began. "To succeed my father and lead the village of Sunagakure is more than I ever would have thought possible. I'm sure many of you never imagined this day."

He was treading on dangerous ground, and he knew it. He would have to be open with the people of Suna if he was ever going to overcome the nearly twelve years of mistrust and fear. Confronting those emotions now would make the process easier. But that didn't mean it didn't make me nervous; he would be picking his way through a minefield the entire speech.

"With this village facing ever greater threats, your… faith in my ability to carry out the duties of this office is amazing. I will prove myself worthy of that faith, I promise you. The 'Gaara' that you used to know…"

I cringed into my seat. _Oh Fates… don't say anything stupid…! _

"… I've learned from the person I used to be." My brother's clear blue eyes glowed, and his mouth twitched in the hesitant smile I knew was just beneath the surface. "But I have changed. I've become better, and I'll strive to be a part of this village's life. I'll live and die with the people I now serve, I swear that."

I saw heads nodding, and breathed a sigh of relief. The experience with the poison had been invaluable; most people saw the truth in Gaara's words.

"Speaking of which," the elder spoke again, "to remind you all, it was only about two months ago that Gaara-sama and his sister Temari, along with aid from the Konoha shinobi Haruno Sakura and Nara Shikamaru, defended this town against two Shadow Biju," as they had been dubbed. "He even defeated one of the creatures single-handedly!"

I didn't bristle; I was long past that. It was simply inevitable that the Kazekage-to-be would get the credit.

In all fairness, though, I _wasn't '_long past it.' It upset me. But I wasn't going to say anything.

Until Gaara shook his head.

"That wasn't just me," he said, moving to the edge of the stage and finding me with his eyes. The next thing I knew, his microphone had landed squarely in my upturned hands, and he raised his voice to be heard without the device. "My brother did a lot of the work. Want to say a few words, Kankuro?"

I felt my mouth open slightly, looking up at my brother in shock. He returned held my gaze, that smile finally showing though.

"Come on, then," he said, motioning. "You're the one that always gets forgotten, and you know it."

It took another moment for my brain to catch up with this latest development, and I heard Temari's laugh rise in the nearly silent room. Standing a bit shakily, I looked around. I could have sworn that Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Well…" I cleared my throat, and then turned to my brother with mock resentment. "At least you had time to prepare a speech." Looking out over the crowd, then, I took a deep breath. "Well…" I repeated, taking another moment to gather my thoughts. "This village is my home," I began with an effort, "and I'll do everything I can to protect it alongside my brother." I stood a bit straighter, smirking. "One day, I'll rival you, Chiyo-baasama," I added, finding the elder near the back of the hall. Looking back up at Gaara, I saw him nod. "And you, brother, won't be able to show me up so easily, ay?"

"I never could," Gaara admitted.

"You just have more fangirls, I know," I said teasingly, "even though you don't even want 'em."

A couple dozen girls in the crowd blushed as I hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head.

I narrowed my eyes, suddenly serious. "And let me vow, right now… let me vow, by our mother, that whatever you face, brother, you'll never face alone. I'll always be right beside you; not behind you; not in your shadow; _beside _you." Then, I smiled. "Now, this is your day." Tossing the microphone back up to him, I sat down to an impromptu smattering of applause. Gaara caught the device, smiling warmly.

"Well said, brother," he murmured, dipping his head. "Kazekage or not… I hope to always have you beside me."

The ceremony continued with a few more formalities; Gaara said a few more words, took a few vows, and then pulled on the snow white robes that symbolized his pure motives and devotion to the people of the sand. There was a moment of applause, although there were always- would always be –people who sat back in their chairs with narrowed, dark eyes. But that day didn't belong to them; it was a day of triumph for my brother. I stood, along with many people, and welcomed Gaara as the Kazekage; as a changed man, one who was ready to be more than what people though he was and should be.

… … …

Gaara didn't spend as much time at home as he used to; he didn't have the time. He was always out and about, either running around the village or holed up in his office doing paperwork. I had plenty of paperwork now, as well, seeing as I worked with my brother in the main hall. But paperwork didn't interest me, and I, frankly, wasn't as patient with such things as he was.

That particular day I had snuck out under our guards' noses, tired of being cooped up in my office. Wandering though the dusty streets of Suna, I was content to just take a walk. But somehow or other, my feet carried me to the very edge of our village, the framed cliff where my brother had spoken to me not so long ago. With little else to do, I walked to the very edge, sitting down and looking out over the still desert.

I don't know how long I sat there before the crunch of sand under foot caused me to turn, and my eyes widened. Blue eyes glinted in the fading light, and he sat down wordlessly beside me.

"… Weren't you still working…?" I finally managed to ask.

Gaara shrugged. "I can't put up with that desk job for too long. I thought you'd caught on to it; there's a Suna Bushin in my place right now."

My mouth fell open. "No; the Kazekage, playing hooky?"

He shrugged again, shifting the gourd on his back. "I used to have the whole world to myself," he said thoughtfully. "I used to take long in the desert, undisturbed; the cacti were my only friends. Now I'm… surrounded. Now I'm _cornered. _I've got to get out once in a while."

I grinned. "We are brothers, after all."

Both of us fell silent, sitting comfortably in each other's presence. The sun flashed brilliantly over the vivid landscape, and suddenly it wasn't barren, but full of life. Only someone who had grown up in the desert could truly see what I did, what we did; the vibrant colors, the fluttering of movement that mimicked breath. Our own breath synced with it, and only the peace of those few moments existed.

It wasn't until the sun dipped below the horizon that Gaara stood, offering his hand. There was still light to see by, and I, unlike he, hadn't thought to leave a bushin in my place.

I chuckled. "Brother, how did we get on when we… didn't know each other?"

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Somehow, we made it. But maybe… maybe we only made it… for this. All we've been though… perhaps it was only for this future."

I nodded, and took his hand. Rising, I paused.

"Yeah. This is… everything."

THE END

**(A/N) Well. The End. How does that sound? **

**First things first, don't hold your breath for any sequel. But I will be coming out with some new Naruto stuff after I get back from camp. If you liked this story, please, please subscribe to me! I've got another, quite similar fic that focuses on Gaara and Kankuro called "The Guiltless and the Damned" that will only be four chapters (and maybe an epilogue), two comedy sand-sibs one shots called "Misunderstanding (that's a working title)" and "Bitter Deserts and Sweet Desserts," and a special for Father's Day called "A Talk with Otousan" that will also be four chapters. **

**Plus, an epic project that I'm really, really excited about called "The Simplicities of Goodbyes." Here's a special sneak peak at that for my wonderful readers: **

Three days,_ I thought numbly, staring into my reflection, meeting those blue eyes that were suddenly so foreign to me. _I have three days to live._ Shukaku's laugh echoed though my brain, and I sat down abruptly on the cool stone of my bathroom floor. _

**That should be enough to peak your curiosity. :D **

**I hope to see you all very soon, and once more thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! **


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